Hello, everyone!
It’s been a while since I last wrote here, but I have not been absent from watching dramas. I feel like 2017 has given us a lot of good dramas and today I’ll share one of my favourites, Queen for Seven Days.
Lee Dong Gun as Yi Yoong, Park Min Young as Shin Chae Kyung, Yeon Woo Jin as Yi Yeok,
Queen for Seven Days is a historical melodrama, which is unusual for me as the only historical drama I've ever finished was Love in The Moonlight. However, I am a huge Healer fan, so when I heard that this drama has one of Healer’s directors and Park Min Young, I didn’t think twice about giving it a try. But this one got me hooked, should I say, in the first scenes? The cast? I think it was love at the first sight.
C'mon everyone, let's give it a try...
This drama is based on the love story between King Jungjong (Yeon Woo Jin) and Queen Dangyeong (Park Min Young), his wife, who was crowned and deposed after seven days. Okay, but the story isn’t just about that. It has a lot of political background, and also has another very important character, King Yeonsangun (Lee Dong Gun). The story can be divided into two parts: the first part when the main leads first met and got separated; and later, as young adults, when they meet again and a lot of serious stuff happens.
Park Min Young plays the Queen that is deposed seven days after being crowned.
Park Min Young plays Shin Chae Kyung, whose father was Shin Se Geun, brother of Queen Shin, married to Prince Yeonsan (when he still was king). Her father also holds a very important position as the King’s Second State Counselor. She is the main lead in Healer, but she has also acted in different kinds of dramas like City Hunter, Remember and Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
She is one of my favourite actresses because she always looks so different in every charater she plays. Regardless of the role, she always does a good job.
I have to say I wasn’t expecting Park Min Young and Yeon Woo Jin to match so well. The crew who decided to cast them earn a big thanks from me.
At first, she lived in the countryside with her nanny because her family wished to keep her away from any contact with the palace (there is a very good reason behind it, but no spoilers). But one day, she gets tired of waiting for her family and goes to find them by herself. On this journey, she meets both Prince Yeonsan/ Yi Yoong and Prince Jungjong/Yi Yeok, but without knowing that they are part of the royal family and how they are related. At a young age, she was promised to marry Yi Yeok, but a lot of things will happen along the way.
Is just me or does the young Yi Yeok look very similiar to Yeon Woo Jin? These kids' are excellent actors, especially in this!
One topic in this drama that was really sad was the story between the brothers. Prince Jungjong is born Yi Yeok, played by Yeon Woo Jin and King Yeonsangun is named Yi Yoong, played by Lee Dong Gun. Yeon Woo Jin is known for his roles in Introverted Boss (2017) and also the rom-com Marriage, Not Dating. Both dramas were quite enjoyable. . I like this actor very much and I think he can play very different roles. He did very well in this one because he had to be funny and playful, but also sad and emotional as times too.
This drama is not just about sad moments though. The funny scenes are great!
After their father’s death, the previous king's wish was that Yi Yoong would rule until Yi Yeok came to age (and became the next king.) However, the older brother couldn’t understand why his father didn’t choose him. So, he decides seize power and become the next king instead. Later, King Yeonsangun goes down in history as one of the most tyrannical kings of Joseon.
The relationship between brothers is destroyed by their political ambitions. Afterall, only one of them can succeed.
Even if this drama has a lot of sad stories, it was very well written and has a lot of romance and friendship. The young Chae Kyung, Yi Yeok and Seo Noh become friends at a very young age. Later, the two boys become like brothers. Seo Noh makes it his mission to protect Yi Yeok forever, as Yi Yeok once saved his life. Seo Noh is played by 2PM Chansung, he is very supportive of Yi Yeok's decisions. His scenes made me cry, so he clearly did very well in his supporting role.
2PM's ChanSung as Seo Noh, Yi Yeok best friend
The cast, in general, is pretty great. Lee Dong Gun's acting is on point; he has moments of sadness, fits of rage, and most convincing of all is when he has hallucinations and his crazy moments. Yi Yeok’s mother, Queen Dowager, was also a role that made me feel sad. She couldn’t love Yi Yoong because of her desire for her son to be the king, but she also couldn’t hate him.
Lee Dong Gun as King Yeonsangun
An honourable mention goes to Chae Kyung nanny, because their relationship was almost a mix of sister/mother. It was very sweet to watch them.
If you are looking for a good story with drama, romance and a good plot, watch this amazing drama. It is a very consistent drama, not draggy at all. Each week, I was excited for the new episodes to come out because it is just so intense! Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions. You surely won’t regret it. If you've already watched it, let me know what you think!
See you, bye~